Much like Annie, the main character in my novel Finding Annie, I have always searched for silver linings. The more dire the situation, the more important it has always been for me to find something positive; I simply canโt stomach the thought of something dreadful occurring and having only terrible takeaways. Some aspect of my … Continue reading Moments of Gratitude
Personal
The Art of Waterproofing
If you have kids, theyโve likely gone through a magic phase. My daughters, ages three and five, are in one right now. They run around the house waving whatever was closest to them when inspiration hitโdress-up wand, marker, chopstick, Barbie legโshouting โMagic, magic, turn me into a _______!โ Whatโs in the blank? Well, that changes … Continue reading The Art of Waterproofing
The Hardest Things to Say
I remember watching Mary Poppins for the first time. I was eight or nine, and the movie impacted me on a few different levels. I loved the music and the singing. I envied the kids for having someone who cared for and about them. And I loved the nonsense word I was introduced to: Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. … Continue reading The Hardest Things to Say
WWND: What Would Norman Do?
Itโs no secret that I have a soft spot for the โ90s (see this post), and the decade has yet again provided me with some inspiration. Get ready to take a trip back about twenty-five yearsโฆ Remember the advent of WWJD? It stands for โWhat Would Jesus Do?โ and was started by a youth group … Continue reading WWND: What Would Norman Do?
Inspirational Quotes Part 1: Salt Required
One of the hottest trends out there today is inspirational quotes. Many people have something to say, whether original or repeating what someone else has said, and just about everyone likes to read them. And Iโm not judging โ Iโm definitely one of those people. Just check out my social media accounts and youโll see that I … Continue reading Inspirational Quotes Part 1: Salt Required
Dear Rachael…
A former classmate and childhood friend reached out to me via social media a couple months ago. She sent me a link to this blog post, sharing that she thought I might be interested and that the woman who wrote the article, Rachael Brooks, was publishing a book about her experiences as a survivor. I … Continue reading Dear Rachael…
Lessons in Inappropriate Laughter
Do you recall a time when someone laughed inappropriately? I know there are dozens of times (at least) that Iโve done it, and those are only the ones that I have some vague memory of. Most of them involved misunderstanding what the other person said or missing the context for it. Sometimes the end result … Continue reading Lessons in Inappropriate Laughter
What’s Kintsugi Got to do With it?
My husband has a deep and abiding love of Japanese tattoos and sends me videos almost daily. So when my husband sent me a link to a video with โkintsugiโ in the description a few months ago, I saw the name and made the assumption that since it was Japanese, it probably related to tattoos … Continue reading What’s Kintsugi Got to do With it?
Quest for Genre
I made the decision in January of 2018 to return to my childhood passion and life-long dream of being a writer when I was in the midst of reading Writing Ourselves Whole: Using the Power of Your Own Creativity to Recover and Heal from Sexual Trauma by Jen Cross and I knew exactly what to … Continue reading Quest for Genre
Let’s Talk About Consent, Baby
Yes, I have a weak spot for music from the 90s, including Salt-N-Pepaโs 1991 hit Letโs Talk About Sex, the inspiration behind the title for this post. If youโre unfamiliar with Salt-N-Pepa, the female hip-hop group sometimes tackled important social issues of the day with their music, including the then-taboo topic of sex and the … Continue reading Let’s Talk About Consent, Baby